MELBOURNE, Fla. – A 30-year-old man jumped off a Carnival cruise ship Sunday off Florida, prompting a search by the U.S. Coast Guard, officials said.
According to the Coast Guard, the man — later identified as Jaylen Hill — was on the Carnival Elation and went overboard about 95 miles east of Melbourne.
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Carnival Cruise Line on Monday released a statement, saying Hill jumped off the ship while it was returning to Jacksonville, Florida.
“The crew was notified by his traveling companion late (Sunday) afternoon about his missing status after he had not been seen all day,” the cruise line said. “Sadly, after an exhaustive on-board search and a review of security camera video it was determined that he jumped.”
Carnival said shoreside authorities were notified about the incident, and the ship’s crew was advised to continue to Jacksonville.
“The Carnival Care Team is providing support to the guest’s family and our thoughts are with them and the guest,” the cruise line said.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced the search on Monday afternoon, saying Hill had been last seen around 8 a.m. Sunday morning. However, Coast Guard officials later said that crews were suspending search efforts after searching more than 1,300 square miles.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the Hill family,” Petty Officer Eric Rodriguez said. “Our crews take our life-saving mission very seriously. Any time we can’t bring a loved one home to their family is a pain we all feel.”
#UPDATE & FINAL: @USCG #D7 suspended the search efforts for missing cruise ship passenger, Jaylen Hill, Monday, pending any further developments.
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) July 25, 2023
Coast Guard cutter and aircraft crews searched more than 1,347 square miles. #SAR
Carnival Elation was on a four-day trip to the Bahamas and returned to its homeport of Jacksonville on Monday morning.
No other information has been released.
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